


New Beginnings

by toxic_supernova



Category: South Park
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Background Relationships, Basketball Player Kyle, Butters has DID in this whoops, Cheerleader Butters, Debate Team Captain Eric Cartman, Dissociative Identity Disorder, F/F, F/M, Football Player Stan, High School Freshman, M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, Nice Eric Cartman, Rating May Change, Shitty High School Football Games, Volleyball Player Wendy, baby's first fanfiction, pansexual kenny, watch me psychoanalyze Butters from Kenny's perspective
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-07-01 17:29:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15778743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toxic_supernova/pseuds/toxic_supernova
Summary: Freshman year of high school is a chance to start over. To forget about the past, and to look towards the future. Well, for some people that is. Kenny doesn't want to think about his future, hell, he didn't really think that he had one anyways. He likes to stay in the present where everything is normal. But his world is shaken when he finds himself pining after Butters Stotch, and he learns a secret that changes his entire perspective of the boy. Curiosity gets the better of him and he finds himself wanting to know everything there is to know about Leopold "Butters" Stotch.





	1. The Game That Changes Everything

**Author's Note:**

> Quick heads up, I'm from Texas, and the football games that I write are entirely based off of my experiences at a small rural school I attended my freshman year. Also, this is my first fan fiction, I've written stuff in the past, but I've never done anything fandom based like this, so if you have any genuine criticisms, let me know, and I'll try and improve my writing in later chapters. If you're wondering why I gave Butters DID in this, it's because I read waaay too much into things, and Butters has experienced more childhood trauma then most people and yet retained a sense of innocence. This made me think, "what if his alters are just protecting him from the abuse to keep him safe?" And then this happened. If I get anything wrong about DID, please let me know so that I can fix it. 
> 
> For reference, here is a brief synopsis of Butters's alters in this fic: 
> 
> Marjorine: Has a much more pronounced southern accent then Butters, she is confident and extroverted. She takes the reigns more often then some of the other alters. She ages with Butters. (She/Her)
> 
> Professor Leon: Speaks in a posh British accent. Very analytical with a passion for all types of science. He is 34 and does not age. (He/Him)
> 
> Chaos: Sounds the most like Butters, but their voice is just a tad deeper. Does not care about anyone but themselves, tries to be evil, but often fails miserably at it. Chaos has no age or gender. (They/Them)
> 
> Nora: A non-verbal autistic girl. She does not usually come out unless she feels safe, which is rare. Butters is completely unaware of her. She is 9 and does not age. (She/Her)

The sun was setting in the sky, crickets chirped and hopped across the concrete, barely avoiding the feet of careless high schoolers as they milled about the concession stand. Kenny McCormick had taken a seat at a nasty looking picnic table that looks as if it hasn’t been cleaned since 1999. And to be honest, it probably hadn’t. Not that he cared. 

 

Cartman had gone to get himself a shitton of snacks and Kyle had gone to the bathroom, leaving him to wait on them so they could go find their seats in the stands. It was the first football game of the school year, South Park High vs North Park High. Just about everyone in the school was here, which wasn’t really saying much since their freshman class alone was only about 100 kids. 

 

Stan had miraculously made it onto the Varsity team, which was really the only reason he and Kyle were here. Cartman was only here for the snacks. At least, that’s what he kept telling everyone. For some reason, he didn’t believe him. Through the crowd of teenagers and parents, he spotted Kyle making his way back over to him.

 

“Holy shit the line to the bathroom was fucking insane,” Kyle huffed as he took a seat, grimacing at the table.

 

“Really? Thought you were taking a massive shit or something.”

 

Kyle rolled his eyes. “You’re disgusting. Is the fatass  _ still  _ in line for food?”

 

“Nah, he’s at the front of the line now,” Kenny pointed to where Cartman was arguing with an older woman. “He started trying to negotiate the prices down about five minutes ago. It’s kinda entertaining? But now I’m starting to think the concessions lady is backing down, so it’s not as fun anymore.”

 

“Jesus Christ, can we just ditch him? I don’t want to be associated with,” he gestured vaguely in Cartman’s direction, “that.”

 

“We could try, but he’ll find us eventually and yell at us for ditching him, and then you’ll start yelling, and we’ll eventually get kicked out. You really want that to happen at Stan’s first big game?” 

 

“No,” Kyle grumbled and crossed his arms. 

 

“Then play nice. Honestly, I’m not so sure why you still hate him so much, I think he’s mellowed out a lot since middle school.”

 

“Just because he’s not as unbearable as he used to be, doesn’t mean I have to forgive him for all the shitty things he has done and said over the years.”

 

“Whatever, hold a grudge if you want, I’m just saying we have the chance to start over, clear the slate and all that bullshit. I say leave the past where it belongs; in the past.” 

 

“What are you guys talking about?” Cartman asked as he approached them, holding fewer snacks then he was attempting to bargain for at the concessions stand. 

 

“Oh, did you finally strike a deal with the concessions lady?” Kenny asked, redirecting the conversation.

 

Cartman sighed. “No, fucking marching band booster club “had to get their money” or else “they couldn’t afford to go to competition,” or some bullshit like that. Figured it wasn’t worth the effort.” He tossed a bag of Cheez-Its over to Kenny which he caught with ease. This was the other thing Kenny liked about new Cartman, he just started giving him food out of the blue one day, and well, who was he to ask questions? He tucked the bag into his pocket, he’d share it with Karen at some point. 

 

“Can we go find our seats now? The game’s about to start,” Kyle said as he got up from the table.

 

Cartman made a vague gesture towards the stands. “Lead the way, wise one. Can we not sit by the band though? I don’t want a trumpet in my ear the entire fucking game.”

 

Kenny stood and followed the two up into the metal stands.The stadium lights were beginning to flicker on, still dim as the sun continued to beat down on them. Some of the rubber from the track managed to find its way into his shoes, which was very annoying. Kids were running around underneath them, playing with a football of their own. Instruments shrieked from the far end of stands as the band warmed up.

They finally sat down in the middle of the stands, closer to the front. Kenny played peacekeeper and sat between Cartman and Kyle. Which seemed to be the best choice as Kyle eventually calmed down. 

 

As more and more people began filing into the stands, the cheerleaders walked onto the track to start warming up. He had wondered who would end up on the team from their class. There were about 12 of them in total. Most of them were upperclassman, but from where they were sitting he could see Bebe, Red, Nichole, Heidi, and one other girl with blonde hair styled into an undercut that had her back to them.

 

“Hey, who is that?” Kenny asked out loud, pointing to the girl. Kyle and Cartman looked over at the same time with interest.

 

“I’m not sure,” Kyle said. “She might be new.”

 

Cartman suddenly started laughing hysterically, hunching over as if he were in pain.

 

Kyle snarled, “what’s your fucking problem fatass?”

 

“That’s- oh my God this is- this is too fucking good!” He kept laughing, putting a hand on Kenny’s shoulder to support himself. “That’s- that’s fucking Butters you guys!”

 

Kyle and Kenny looked back just as Butters turned his head to say something to Bebe, and yep. Cartman was right. Kenny would recognize that face anywhere. That was Leopold “Butters” Stotch on the South Park High cheer squad wearing a female cheerleading uniform. 

 

Cartman continued to howl with laughter as the realization sunk in. Kyle blinked in confusion a couple times before asking, “why is he wearing the girls’ uniform? Is he like… trans now or something?” He then smacked a hand over his mouth. “I- I mean, not that I’d have a problem with that-”

 

“Pfft- No need to get all PC Kyle, we know what you meant,” Cartman said, taking his hand off Kenny’s shoulder and wiping a stray tear from his eye.

 

“Is it weird I think he look hot?” Kenny asked, feeling his face flush slightly.

 

“What? Oh,” Cartman shook his head. “Look, I totally get that your gay now-”

 

“Pan,” Kenny corrected.

 

“‘Pan” right. But I don’t wanna hear about how turned on you are by Butters in a skirt.”

 

“I literally never said that.”

 

“Eh, you did kinda implied it,” Kyle said, looking down at his phone..

 

“Since when do you agree with Cartman on anything?” Kenny asked and Kyle’s eyes went wide.

 

“Oh God, you’re right, I think I’m going to be sick.”

 

Cartman looked like he was going to say something, but God blessed them with the announcer coming on over the intercom, saving them all. After the band managed to squeak out the National Anthem, the game finally started. 

 

Kenny tried to keep his eyes on Stan, #12, but his eyes kept drifting back to the cheerleaders. They were doing a simple routine, the freshman pushed to the back, but Kenny made an effort to look at Butters. He seemed to be really into it, and really good at it too. From where he was sitting, he couldn’t see very well, but it almost looked like he was wearing the same make-up as the other girls. 

 

At some point he looked up at the scoreboard. North Park was winning. He wasn’t entirely sure when it became the second quarter, but time seemed to have slipped away from him. He looked around to see what the others were doing. 

 

Kyle was stuck in a weird loop of cheering for Stan and checking his phone. Upon further investigation, he seemed to be texting Ike who was sending some pretty dank memes, while Kyle was desperately trying to delete them. 

 

“Hey, tell Ike he should send some of those to me,” Kenny said, causing Kyle to jump.

 

“Don’t read over my shoulder weirdo!” He turned off his phone and sighed. “I wish he would send them to literally anyone else, but  _ no,  _ he’s just trying to get me in trouble.”

 

“Dude, why would you get in trouble for Ike sending you memes?”

 

Kyle’s shoulders slumped. “My mom.”

 

“Are you going to elaborate on that or…”

 

“My mom has started checking my phone whenever I get back from doing “teenage activities.” It’s fucking annoying, and now Ike keeps sending inappropriate shit to my phone to piss me off.”

 

“Block his number then,” Cartman said, idly munching on some sour patch kids, his eyes fixated on the game.

 

Kyle was quiet for a couple of minutes, and he looked like he was about to have a stroke as he looked down at his phone. He probably hadn’t even thought of that, and was mad that it was Cartman who suggested it. Kenny turned back to the game. Unsurprisingly, from the corner of his eye, he saw Kyle hesitantly turning on his phone and quickly typing a few things in before shoving it into his pocket.

 

South Park managed to score another touchdown before the buzzer for halftime sounded. A bunch of people stood up and walked down to where the bathrooms and concessions were, their feet pounding loudly against the metal bleachers. Kyle got up too, mumbling something about getting food before walking away.

 

Once the football teams had left the field, the North Park cheerleaders began their routine. They treated the harsh stadium lights like spotlights. Spotlights that were each being perpetually swarmed by gnats and moths. It was sort of fun to watch, but Kenny lost interest pretty quickly, and pulled out his slider phone to check on Karen. 

 

It was an archaic device, but he got a two for one deal so he was able to give the other one to Karen. His job at City Wok paid for the phone plan. He was finally being paid minimum wage, so it worked out. Of course, he had to hide the checks from his parents, because if they found out they’d try to take his hard earned money to spend on drugs and alcohol. It’s what they did to Kevin, and it’s why Kevin left.

 

Karen told him that she had finished off the last of the spaghettios and was heading to bed. It was getting pretty late after all, but they still had another hour or so left here at the game. He wished her good night and put his phone away just as Kyle maneuvered his way back into his seat with a tray of gross looking nachos.

 

“Did I miss anything?” 

 

“Nah, nothing worth seeing, I think the North Park band is just about done,” Kenny answered.

 

Kyle hummed and took a bite of his nachos, wincing a little. “Fuck, these things are disgusting.”

 

“What did you expect? That cheese is basically orange paint,” Cartman snarked.

 

“I didn’t know you were capable of not liking food, fatass.”

 

“ _ Christ, _ you make it sound like I’ll eat anything. I have standards,” he took a bite of his three musketeers bar. “If you don’t like it, just give it to Kenny, I’m sure he’ll eat it.”

 

Kyle growled but held the tray out to Kenny anyways. “‘ _ Christ,  _ you make it sound like I’ll eat anything. I have standards! If you don’t like it, just give it to  _ Kenny _ , I’m sure  _ he’ll _ eat it,’” he mocked in his best Cartman impression. Kyle snickered a bit next to him, but Cartman just raised an eyebrow.

 

“Well, you will, won’t you?” Annnnnd Cartman had him there. He definitely will.

 

Kenny shrugged and started eating. They didn’t taste great, but neither did spaghettios or ramen noodles or pop-tarts or Mr. Kim’s cooking. Kenny’s theory is that he had lost a majority of his sense of taste out of a need to survive. Which was a little sad, but that’s just how it be sometimes. 

 

The North Park band began filing of the field, and once they had made it to the track, a loud whistle sounded from below them, and the South park cheerleaders walked in unison to the center of the field. Kenny’s heart pounded in his chest as he watched Butters take their position with the other freshman in the back.

 

The senior officers were introduced by the announcer, each girl performing a short acrobatic stunt before waving to the crowd when their name was called. And then he heard them shout, “5, 6- 5, 6, 7, 8!” And the routine began. 

 

Some trash pop song played over the loudspeaker, but Kenny could care less about the song, he was more focused on watching Butters motherfucking Stotch do a perfect roundoff back handspring back tuck. (He only knew the term because Karen had a brief gymnastics phase before she found out they couldn’t afford the fees for her to be a cheerleader.) And then he was lifted into the air by Bebe and Red, and for the first time all night, they locked eyes, and Kenny swears on his many, many graves that Butters smirks at him before being brought back to the ground.

 

The routine ended far too soon, and the cheerleaders were followed up by the marching band, who weren’t too bad, they just weren’t great either. It was the first performance of the season, so they were bound to get better. Hopefully.

 

Cartman laughed next to him. “Oh my God, Kenny, you are so fucking gay for Butters, holy shit.”

 

“Shut up, Cartman.” Kenny hugged his jacket tight around himself, hoping to hide his red cheeks. He looked back towards the track, and saw Butters smiling up at him. His heart pounded, he’s never felt like this about Butters before so what changed? He waved at him, and he found himself smiling and waving back. He suddenly winked then turned to say something to Red. 

 

Oh fuck. Kenny was utterly smitten.


	2. The Game That Changes Everything: The Sequel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Always be aware of auto correct when you're trying to write a southern accent kids. The grammar perfectionist in my heart was crying for most of this chapter but that's what I get for choosing to write about Butters. Hope you enjoy!

Kenny was forced from his trance when Cartman said out of nowhere, “wow that was probably the third gayest thing I’ve ever seen.”

 

Kyle made a face. “The third? What the fuck were the other two?”

 

“Hm, when Craig and Tweek got together back in elementary school, and that one time I caught you and Stan making out in Token’s bathroom at his birthday party-” He slapped a hand over his own mouth, looking over at Kyle with panicked eyes. “Oh shit.”

 

Kyle’s face had lit up a bright red, the blush spreading from his cheeks to his ears and then down his neck in a matter of seconds. He looked like he was currently deciding whether to cry or murder Cartman. 

 

He stood up, fists clenched and shaking. “You fucking bastard! You told me you wouldn’t fucking talk about that again!” 

 

Cartman’s eyes shifted around to the people who were looking their way now, thank God it was just parents and their little kids. He stood and raised his hands in a placating manner. “Okay, I’m sorry, I fucked up. It just kinda slipped-”

 

“ _ No _ , no, no, you did that on  _ purpose _ ,” Kyle hissed, his voice dripping with venom. “You always  _ fucking _ do this! You can’t even manage to keep one  _ simple _ promise without fucking up- I’m- I’m not doing this.” He stormed off, shoulders shaking.

 

Cartman looked genuinely regretful. He sighed and sat back down, putting his head in his hands. “Why can’t I get anything right with him?”

 

Kenny wasn’t really sure what to say. He had no idea that had even happened. His brain was still reeling from the fact that Stan and Kyle had apparently had some kinda fling? It made sense considered how close the two are, but it was one thing to picture it, it was another for it to actually happen.

 

“Kyle… Kyle still holds a lot of grudges against you, ya’ know? He finds it hard to trust you to begin with, and when you go and do stuff like that without thinking, it just reinforces the idea in his head that he can’t trust you, that he  _ shouldn’t  _ trust you.”

 

Cartman looked up at him. “What do I do then? To get him to trust me?”

 

“That’s not gonna be easy, Cartman. It’s not gonna just happen overnight.”

 

“I know that! I just feel like-” he sighed again. “I don’t know what I’m feeling but I’m willing to put in the work. Just- tell me what I should do.”

 

Kenny smirked. “That’s gotta be the fifth gayest thing I’ve ever heard.”

 

Cartman’s face went red. “Just tell me what to do, Kenny!”

 

“Holy shit, are you gay for Kyle?”

 

“Kenny!”

 

“Fine, fine. Give him a few minutes to cool down and then go talk to him. If you wait too long, he’ll just shut himself off from you. You gotta find a way to get him to listen to you, to  _ really  _ listen to you, don’t get riled up and start yelling, that’ll only make him angrier. Just be willing to compromise and respect whatever decision he ends up making. You should be fine.” 

 

He didn’t actually believe that last part, but Cartman didn’t need to know that. He was a brave man to be willing to face Kyle right now at all. He walked off to find him, leaving Kenny alone, until someone else moved in next to him. He turned to see Butters smiling up at him, and suddenly, he could care less what happened between Kyle and Cartman, he’ll just testify at the murder trial.

 

“Hiya there, Ken. I didn’t think you’d be here tonight!” Butters said enthusiastically. But there was something off about his voice, like his accent had gotten more… pronounced somehow? 

 

“Oh yeah we came out here to support Stan, but I gotta say, you were pretty amazing out there.”

 

He laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “That’s awful nice of you to say, I don’t think I’m half as good as some a those other girls.”

 

“Are you kidding me? Butters, you were fucking fantastic! Since when did you do gymnastics?”

 

“Oh! Well, when I started hangin’ out with the girls a few years ago, I figured I’d get involved with some a their interests so we’d have more in common, and everythin’ just kinda worked itself out.”

 

“Why do I get the feeling that  there’s so much about you that I don’t know?”

 

Butters shifted his eyes nervously. “I... suppose it has been a hot minute since we’ve talked,” he then sat up a little straighter and looked directly at Kenny. They were close enough that Kenny could see the faint discoloration Butters left eye. “You know what? We ought to catch up properly, maybe over some coffee?”

 

Holy shit was he asking him on a date? “Yeah, I mean, I don’t start work tomorrow until eleven, so we could meet up before then?”

 

He nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off by Kenny’s phone going off. He took it out, and saw Cartman’s name splayed across the screen.

 

“I gotta take this. You already have my number so text me, okay?” he said as he stood up.

“Oh r-right. Of course, I need to head back to the track anyways. I’ll see you tomorrow, Ken!” He said before walking away. 

 

Kenny finally answered the phone. “This had better be important.”

 

“Can you bring Kyle’s stuff behind the concession stand? It’s an emergency, I promise.”

 

Suddenly concerned, Kenny grabbed Kyle’s bag and speed walked to the concession stand. “What happened?”

 

“Kyle’s blood sugar is really low, I’m all out of food, but he has emergency snacks in his bag.”

 

“Shit, I always forget he’s diabetic.”

 

“Just bring the bag already,” he said before hanging up.

 

Kenny spotted them, Kyle was leaning heavily against the wall, his arms crossed, while he and Cartman were talking quietly.

 

“I got it,” he announced, walking over to them. They both looked up and then seemed to simultaneously notice how close they were to each other. Cartman took a few steps back while Kyle reached out and took the bag, digging around until he pulled out a sleeve of saltine crackers. 

 

While Kyle started eating, Cartman turned to him. “What took you so long to pick up your phone, asshole?”

 

“Well, I was being asked out on a date, by none other than Butters.”

 

Kyle seemed to choke. “Holy shit-  _ Butters _ asked you out?”

 

“Shut up and eat your goddamn crackers! Do you need any water?” Cartman asked aggressively.

 

Kyle just rolled his eyes. “I’m fine dick head.”

 

“You weren’t fine a minute ago, so  _ excuse me  _ for being a little concerned.”

 

Kenny just watched the exchange back and forth, it almost felt like he was witnessing a verbal tennis match. “So, are you two cool now?”

 

Kyle just shrugged. “We’re fine.”

 

Cartman looked a little surprised by that, but he shook it off easily. “Right yeah, we’re fine, cool, good, yep.”

 

“But,” Kyle started, and Cartman’s shoulders tensed a bit. “One more slip up like that, and I’m done hanging out with you.”

 

“I got it, Kyle.”

 

“Alright, cool, glad that’s over with. Anyways, I have a hot date tomorrow. Who happens to be texting me right now, so I’m just going to go back to the stands now.” He turned and walked away. By the time he made it back to his seat, the game was almost over with two minutes left in the fourth quarter. 

 

Stan had been subbed out for some other freshman, and South Park was in the lead. Though he didn’t really care about that right now, he was busy responding to Butters text about when to meet up tomorrow. Eventually Kyle and Cartman sat back down where they had been sitting previously, and it felt like everything was finally right with the world.

 

He should’ve realized that nothing is ever as simple as it seems. 

 

The next morning he woke up groggily to his alarm; his parents fighting in the kitchen. He yawned and checked the time, he still had about thirty minutes before his meet-up with Butters, so he laid back down and stared up at the ceiling. Sometimes when he was bored, he’d try to imagine shapes out of the cracks and the water stains. 

 

His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock at the door. He shot out of bed and threw on the clothes he was wearing last night to avoid answering it in just his boxers. When he finally opened the door, Karen looked up quickly from her phone. She had a relatively empty grocery bag with some clothes in it hanging from her elbow, and her pillow tucked under her arm. Kenny raised an eyebrow. “You going somewhere?”

 

“Yeah I’m heading over to Trica’s house. I’m spending the night,” she shuffled nervously on her feet. “Do you have any clothes that need to be washed? I figured I do some laundry while I’m there.”

 

“Uh… yeah one sec,” he went back into his room and gathered some clothes in his arms. Anytime they didn’t have to walk down to the laundromat across town was a blessing. He walked back over to her and she held open the grocery bag for him to dump his clothes into. Then she tied the bag closed and smiled at him.

 

“Cool, I’ll make sure to get this done after Tricia falls asleep.”

 

“Who sleeps at a sleepover?”

 

Karen rolled her eyes. “Tricia does. I bet she’ll pass out before 9.”

 

“I’ll take that bet. Now get going before mom and dad notice you leaving.”

 

She nodded and took off. Normally Kenny would worry about her walking alone, but Karen could handle herself and the Tucker’s house wasn’t even a ten minute walk from where they lived. Glancing at the time, he realized that he needed to get going as well if he wanted to make it in time. So he threw on his shoes, and attempted to clean himself up in front of the sorry excuse for a mirror in the bathroom, then he dashed out the door before his parents could confront him.

 

He could see Karen in the distance, but he took a sharp right to head up to Tweek Bros. Coffee. It wasn’t until he reached the door that he realized he was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday, the most he could do now was just take off his jacket and tie it around his waist in the hopes that Butters wouldn’t notice. 

 

When he finally opened the door, a small bell rang above his head and the strong scent of coffee hit his nose. 

 

“I’ll be there in just a moment!” A voice shouted from the backroom, a voice he recognized as Tweek’s.

 

He looked around and among the usual odd patrons, he spotted Butters having a passionate conversation with Bebe and Wendy Testaburger. Then heard things being thrown around in the backroom, a few scattered curses here and there. And after a few moments, Tweek Tweak scurried out, still tying his apron. He looked at Kenny and jumped. “Ah! Oh, hi Kenny, you don’t usually come here?” It was phrased as more of a question than a statement.

 

“Nah, I’m not really into coffee, but I’m meeting up with someone, so…”

 

“W-well that makes sense, I guess. Um, were you... going to order something?”

 

“Yeah, I’ll just have a plain black coffee.”

 

“Uh, are you sure about that? I wouldn’t really recommend just drinking it black.”

 

Kenny shrugged. “It’s the cheapest thing you got.”

 

“R-right. Okay, what size?”

 

“Just a small.”

 

Tweek nodded and grabbed a cup and began pouring the coffee into it. “Your total is 3.50,” he said, putting the cup on the counter. 

 

Kenny took out his wallet and gave Tweek the money before taking the coffee and finally walking over to Butters. He was able to catch Bebe saying, “-yeah but then Cartman was all like- oh, hey there Kenny.”

 

Wendy and Butters looked up at him instantly, and he suddenly felt very out of place, that is until Butters grinned warmly at him. “Heya Ken! I’m glad to see you! The girls and I were just finishing up our conversation,” he turned back to the girls. “Hope you lovely ladies enjoy your date!”

 

They both blushed furiously, their hands linked and resting on the table, that’s when it all clicked in Kenny’s head. “Oh, you two are dating?”

 

Wendy nodded. “Yeah Stan and I broke it off awhile ago.”

 

“Not to mention that  _ asshole _ cheated on you back in June at Token’s birthday party,” Bebe growled. “I swear I’d strangle the bastard if it wouldn’t get me kicked off the cheer squad.”

 

“Or put in jail,” Butters added.

 

“Right that too.”

 

“Well it’s not like I knew about that or I would’ve broken up with him sooner.”

 

A sense of dread pooled in his stomach. He wasn’t going to like the answer to his next question. “Who’d he cheat on you with?”

 

“You won’t  _ believe _ this,” Bebe began, “it was Kyle motherfucking Broflovski! I’m surprised you didn’t know since Cartman’s apparently the one that caught them.”

“How’d you find out about all this?” That was apparently the wrong question to ask, he realized as Butters and Wendy groaned while Bebe’s face lit up like a christmas tree.

 

“Oh  _ no _ ,” Wendy said, sinking into her chair.

 

Butters rolled his eyes, “here we go again.”

 

Bebe ignored both of them. “Well, I heard it from Red, who heard it from her friend Kelly, who heard it from her cousin, who heard it from  _ his  _ friend Brian, who heard it from his brother, who heard it from his coworker at the auto shop downtown while they were changing the tires of a grey 2001 Kia Sorento, who heard it from his aunt, whose daughter is on the North Park cheer squad, low on the totem pole, kinda pretty, but not like  _ hot  _ pretty, who heard it from her boyfriend, a solid 6, but an argument could be made that he’s more of a 7, who overheard Cartman at the football game last night talking about it! Small world right?”

 

The sheer amount of information that was piled into that one sentence was almost enough to give him a major headache, but he just found himself blinking in shock a few times.

 

“Yeah, yeah. Small world… Uh, I guess Butters and I should leave you two alone,” he said tentatively. Luckily Butters backed him up.

 

“I’ll talk to you guys on Monday!” He said with a wave, and the girls waved back, saying their own goodbyes.

 

He and Butters took a seat near the window on the opposite side of the shop. Kenny chugged half of his coffee, suddenly wishing it was alcohol. If Bebe Stevens already knew, then that means that half of the school, if not,  _ most  _ of the school knew as well. Kyle was going to be devastated. Or pissed off. Who knew with him honestly?

 

“Bebe certainly knows her gossip, honestly, if I weren’t around her so much I probably wouldn’t know nothin’ that was goin’ on.”

 

Kenny hummed. “I usually try to stay out of this kinda stuff, I probably wouldn’t have asked if Stan, Kyle, Cartman weren’t involved.”

 

“I figured that’s why you were asking,” Butters said with a nod. “I hope nothin’ too bad happens ‘cause of all this. Did you really not know?”

 

He shook his head. “Nope, didn’t have a clue until last night. I feel like I learned more about my friends last night then I have in the entire, what? Decade, I’ve known them? It’s like everyone has been keepin’ secrets from me y’know?”

 

“Uh, yeah, yeah... I know what you mean,” Butters said taking a sip from his own drink. “Anyways, I’ve been meanin’ to ask, how is Karen?”

 

Kenny smiled at the mention of his sister. “Oh she’s doing great, 5th grade has been treating her well. Thank God Mr. Garrison isn’t around anymore. They actually have a teacher who  _ teaches  _ believe it or not.”

 

“Those privileged fucks,” Butters said shaking his head. “Back in my day we had to suffer to get anythin’ resemblin’ an education.”

 

“That’s very true,” Kenny said calmly before breaking out into a fit of laughter. “God, that class was a  _ nightmare _ .”

 

Butters giggled. “Yeah it was, I can’t remember a single day of that class where nothing weird happened.”

 

Kenny specifically remembers the countless deaths he experienced that year. Every other day it was either getting hit by a car, being impaled by a flagpole, or drowning in a sea of piss. The thoughts made him shudder, so he decides to change the topic. “So, uh, when did you decide to join the cheer squad?”

 

Butters face lit up in a bright sunny smile. “I thought about joinin’ back in middle school, but I was so scared of bein’ made fun of, but this year Bebe and Nichole dragged me to the auditions, and I just decided, ‘screw what everyone else thinks I’m goin’ to do it ‘cause I enjoy it.’”

 

“Well, you looked really good out on the field, especially in the girls uniform.”

 

“You- you really think so?” Butters asked, his face flushed.

 

“I know so,” he said lacing their fingers together on the table.

 

“W-well, the only reason I was wearin’ it was ‘cause Coach Sydney didn’t wanna have me stickin’ out like a sore thumb on the field, and y’know clothes don’t have a gender an all that.”

 

Kenny grinned. “No I guess they don’t. It’s pretty brave of you though.”

 

“I know it’s risky in a town like this, but I don’t wanna have to restrict myself just ‘cause someone might make fun a me y’know? And I know the girls will have my back no matter what.”

 

“I totally get what you mean. Before I came out as pan, I was scared about what people might think of me, what they might say. How I’d probably have to explain pansexuality over and over again, but I realized it was all worth it when I was finally just- able to be myself.” 

 

Butters nodded and smiled sadly. “I know, it’s such a nice feeling when you’re able to be yourself around someone.”

 

After that, they talked for almost an hour about everything and nothing, until Kenny looked at the time and realized his shift was starting in 10 minutes. 

 

“Hey, I gotta get going, but this was really fun.”

 

“Yeah it was! We should do this again sometime.”

 

Kenny smiled and stood up, taking Butters hand and kissing the back of it like the proper gentleman he was. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

 

“Uh, yeah, hopefully. I’ll text you!”

 

He didn’t really think much of Butters last statement as he left. He was in quite the hurry to get to work. By the time Monday rolled around, Kenny felt like he was floating on air. Everything had just been so perfect this weekend. 

 

After his date with Butters, the two of them had been texting almost non-stop, it would’ve been completely non-stop if Kenny didn’t have to focus on his work. Regardless, he was in such a good mood that it was almost terrifying. Life didn’t just let good things happen to Kenny, there was always a catch.

 

Right before the bell rang, he spotted Butters pulling a book from his locker. Kenny smiled and approached him. “Hey Butters.”

 

He jumped and nearly dropped the book in his hands, whipping his head around to stare at Kenny with wide eyes. “Oh! Uh… Hey Kenny. C-can I help you with something?”

 

It was strange. Instead of the far more pronounced accent he had been hearing this weekend, Butters voice sounded the same as it always had. Kenny didn’t think much of it. “No, no, I just wanted to say that this weekend was really fun.”

 

Butters face paled. “What do you mean, Kenny?”

 

Confusion bubbled up in the back of his mind. Why did Butters look so shocked? “Uh, our date. On Saturday. It was really fun? Hey are you okay?”

 

The poor boy looked like he was going to have a heart attack or throw-up or both. “Kenny, we haven’t been on a date before.”

 

The first of many thoughts that dashed through his head was-  _ when had he died? _ He couldn’t remember a single instance of dying this weekend, and he absolutely would’ve remembered considering he was currently on his longest no-death streak in years. But something must’ve happened considering the pained expression on Butters face- and for once Kenny believes it has nothing to do with his immortality.

 

“What do you mean?” That familiar sense of dread pooling in his stomach. “You were definitely there with me at the coffee shop this weekend, I remember it pretty well.”

 

“Oh jeez, I- I have to go, I’m sorry,” Butters slammed his locker shut and took off down the hall. Kenny thought about going after him, but he decided against it. 

 

What the hell was going on?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Each comment and kudo adds an extra ten years to my life, so help me achieve immortality by giving me validation lmao.


	3. Altered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: BRIEF MENTION OF SUICIDE/ SUICIDAL THOUGHTS IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO READ THIS, SKIP THE FIRST PARAGRAPH
> 
> Okay, sorry for the slow updates, I just started my freshman year of college so I'm a little overwhelmed right now. I'll try to at least post a chapter once a week, sometimes every other week depending on how I feel or where the story is at. I could see this fic ending at about ten chapters? But I don't know yet.

There have been very few instances where Kenny has intentionally killed himself. In fact, he could count his self-inflicted deaths on one hand. But this- this situation kinda made him want to die. To the point where he was daydreaming in class about how he would do it. His thoughts blurred everything that was happening around him. Especially in the chaos of the lunchroom.

 

“Hey dude, have you seen Kyle at all today?”

 

Stan’s voice cut through the noise, but it took a few moments for Kenny to gather his thoughts enough in order to look up at him and respond. “No, he wasn’t in algebra this morning,” he paused for a second, giving it a bit more thought. “Now that I think about it I haven’t seen Cartman today either.”

 

“God fucking dammit,” Stan groaned and sat down, putting his face in his hands.

 

“Uh. Everything alright buddy?”

 

“No dude. Everything is not alright.”

 

Kenny didn’t really know how to respond to that without saying something stupid like ‘same.’ But he tried anyways. “...Did you wanna talk about it?”

 

Stan dragged his hands down his face with a drawn out sigh. He looked really tired now that Kenny was paying attention. “Well, my best friend is refusing to talk to me, the football team is acting weird around me, and Bebe is telling everyone in the school that I cheated on Wendy while we were dating even though that’s not fucking true and- ugh!” He slammed his forehead down on the table. “I’m just sick of all this  _ bullshit _ .”

 

“So... what actually happened at that party?”

 

Stan didn’t move his head. “Wendy and I got drunk off of some stuff I snuck from my dad’s cabinet before the party, we fought, and then she broke up with me. It wasn’t until like, three days  _ after _ the party she decided she wanted me back.” He sat up and rested his chin in his hand. “I never cheated on her, but how do I prove that? And what’s so wrong about me experimenting a little with my best friend in the bathroom, huh? Why should I have to explain myself to anyone at this shitty school?”

 

“Jesus dude, this whole situation is one giant clusterfuck and I didn’t even know about it until last Friday.”

 

“It wasn’t supposed to be a big deal y’know? We kissed once, so what? We talked about it afterwards and decided we were better off as friends. But then Cartman had to go and run his mouth-”

 

“Don’t blame him, it’s not his fault no one knew that you and Wendy weren’t together at the time.”

 

Stan turned his head to look at him. “Why are you defending him?”

 

“Because he  _ apologized  _ Stan. And we all know Cartman doesn’t just apologize for nothing.”

 

“Maybe you’re right. I’m just-  _ mad  _ y’know? But it’s hard to know who to be mad at. I can’t just go after Wendy and Bebe, what am I gonna do? Punch them? I’d never be allowed on the football field again if I did that.”

 

“Okay hear me out, maybe for once, just this once, violence  _ isn’t  _ the answer.”

 

Stan snorted. “That’s rich coming from you,  _ Mysterion. _ ”

 

“No I’m serious. Maybe you could try talking to them?”

 

“Already tried that, and neither of them would even  _ look  _ at me.”

 

“Yikes. Silent treatment. That’s not a good sign.”

 

“Yeah, I know,” Stan deadpanned. “Any other big ideas Mr. Pacifist?”

 

“I- I might have  _ one, _ ” although he  _ really  _ didn’t like it. “But I’m not sure if it’ll even work.”

 

“Dude I’m willing to do literally anything to get those two to stop trying to destroy my reputation.”

 

“The real question is how much am  _ I  _ willing to do?”

 

“Just tell me what your idea is,” Stan pleaded.

 

Kenny pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’d have to go talk to Butters.”

 

“...Okay? Am I missing something? Did something happen between you two?”

 

“We went on a date this weekend and when I tried to talk to him this morning he pretended like it didn’t even happen.”

 

“Holy shit dude, that really sucks.”

 

“Yeah it does,” he sighed. “But if talking to him could help, I’ll do it.”

 

“We could try to think of something else, if you’re really not up to it.”

 

“Nah, I’ll live,” maybe. “It’s worth a shot.”

 

They were only able to talk for a few more minutes before the bell rang, signifying the end of lunch. As Kenny walked to his next class, a sense of impending doom loomed over him. But what else was new?

 

His last few classes of the day dragged on slowly, as if the teachers could sense his dread and were deliberately making class longer. And with how weird shit got in this town, Kenny believed that it was absolutely possible. Finally, the last bell of the day rang, and Kenny rushed out of class, making a beeline towards a certain blonde’s locker before he ran out of confidence. 

 

But instead of finding Butters, Butters found him. They very nearly crashed into each other, but Kenny was  _ just  _ fast enough to stop in time, his shoes squeaking against the tiled floor. “Butters! Hey, I was just looking for you.”

“Oh, hey Ken, I was looking for you too!” Butters said enthusiastically. A complete 180 from this morning. “Let’s go talk outside,” he suggested, grabbing onto Kenny’s hand and leading him down the hall.

 

Kenny let himself be led, mostly out of sheer confusion. This was such a drastic change from the Butters he talked to this morning that he had to wonder, was he even talking to  _ Butters _ anymore? God, when did everything get so  _ complicated? _

 

Once they were outside, and a safe distance from eavesdroppers, Butters came to a stop and turned to look at him, still holding his hand. He smiled sheepishly up at him. “Gosh, I’m so sorry about this mornin’, you must be so confused.”

 

“Butters, what is going on? I’m getting a lot of mixed signals from you and-”

 

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” he interrupted, ten dropped his hand and crossed his arms over his chest, looking anywhere but at Kenny. “There’s alot goin’ on an it’s gettin’ harder and harder to keep my thoughts on track.”

 

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on? Because this morning you didn’t even seem to remember we went on a date. And if you want to keep things quiet, you should  _ tell  _ me.”

 

Butters was silent for a few moments, seemingly deep in thought. Then he glanced up at Kenny nervously. “I wanna tell you a whole lotta things, Ken. But you have to swear you’ll keep it a secret from  _ everyone.  _ That includes Eric, Stan, and Kyle.”

 

“Whatever it is, you can tell me, Butters. I really like you, and I want this to work out, but with the way things are going…”

 

“Alright. I guess the first thing would be that… Oh God how do I phrase this? You uh… You ain’t exactly dating  _ Butters.” _

 

What? “What?” He asked, confusion only growing. “Then… who am I dating exactly?”

 

Not Butters scratched the back of his head. “I’m uh… I’m Marjorine.” 

 

A thousand thoughts raced through his head, but the words that left his mouth were, “Marjorine? Didn’t we call you that when we dressed you up as a girl that one time in fifth grade?”

 

“Oh yeah,” Marjorine smiled fondly. “That was the first time I was fully present. I liked the name so much it just kinda stuck. Which is ironic because my name was Honey before that.”

 

“What do you mean by fully present?”

“Okay, so, um, this is that big secret I need you to keep, the others and I have Dissociative Identity Disorder. Do y’know what that is?”

 

Kenny thought for a moment. “Isn’t it like that multiple personalities thing?”

 

“Kinda, yeah. Just uh, the word “personalities” ain’t a great way to describe it. Butters, or Leo, is the “host” sure, or at least, we assume he is, but the rest of us are our own people. I have just as many thoughts and feelings as any girl my age would, but I’m,” she gestured vaguely at herself. “I’m sharing this body with other people, does- does that make any sense?”

 

“I think I get it. So if I’m dating you, Marjorine, than  _ Butters  _ really didn’t remember our date, because I didn’t go on a date with him, I went on one with you.”

 

“Yep! I mean that’s not to say that Butters couldn’t have remembered it, I just- well… I- I didn’t really want him too,” she crossed her arms again. “Is that- Is that selfish of me? I just wanted  _ one _ thing that I didn’t have to share, y’know? But now Chaos and Leon are all pissed at me for scarin’ the shit out of Butters this mornin’ cause he didn’t remember anythin’ from this weekend, but I don’t really feel all that bad about it?”

 

“Well that’s certainly quite the dilemma,” Kenny said, still trying to wrap his mind around the whole thing.

 

Marjorine sighed, “yeah it is. But, I shouldn’t be throwin’ all this at you right now. I mean, we’ve only just officially met.” She smiled. “Gotta save the emotional baggage until at  _ least  _ the fourth date.” 

 

“Nah, everyone knows you gotta dump everything in the second date, get it all out of the way early.”

 

“We should do that y’know… A second date. I mean, only if you want to of course, I’d understand if this was a bit weird for you.”

 

“Not even close the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to me,” Kenny said with a smirk. “I’d love to go on a second date with you Marjorine.”

 

She smiled at him, blue eyes shining. Then her face fell and she went quiet for a few moments before saying, “Butters wants to talk to you if that’s alright.”

 

“Uh, one more thing, I almost forgot- could you talk to Bebe and Wendy on Stan’s behalf? They won’t talk to him, and they probably won’t take me very seriously, but they might listen to you. He never cheated on Wendy, apparently they broke up before the party and then got back together a few days after the fact.”

 

Marjorine blinked up at him, then smiled. “I’m sure I can talk some sense into them.”

 

“Okay cool, thank you. I’m uh- I’m good with talking to Butters now if uh-”

 

“Of course, just a- just hold on,” she said wobbling slightly on her feet. Her eyes got hazy for a moment before she shut them.

 

Then, very suddenly, her entire demeanor shifted. All confidence seemed to drain out of her posture all at once. Then without warning, blue eyes opened to look at him, wide and blinking furiously. Butters pressed his knuckles together nervously, the same way he has since they were kids. It was so familiar that Kenny realized it had been odd to see Marjorine not have those same ticks and mannerisms. It all made so much sense now. 

 

“Heya Kenny,” he said, his voice returned to its usual pitch. “Sorry for how I acted this morning, I hope I didn’t hurt your feelings or anything like that.”

 

“No, no, it’s alright. I’d be pretty freaked out too if I had been in your shoes.”

 

He chuckled a bit. “Gee, Marjorine sure wasn’t kidding about finding a boyfriend for herself. I certainly didn’t think she’d find one so fast.”

 

“Haha, yeah, well she was pretty forward.”

 

“Yeah, I don’t think she’s ever really been shy about anything,” Butters said in an odd tone of voice that sounded almost like jealousy. 

 

“Y’know Butters,” Kenny started, a little unsure of himself. “You and I could go on a date as well if that’s what you want.”

 

Butters face flushed with a splotchy red blush that went all the way to the tops of his ears. “You… You really mean that?”

 

“I really do.”

 

He hesitated for a only a brief moment before saying, “I think I’d like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope my psychology professor is proud of me. I've done a lot of research into DID for this fic, listening to first hand accounts, trying to understand it so I could portray it correctly. But I don't know everything, so if you see something in my portrayal of the disorder that is incorrect, misinformed, or god forbid offensive, please please please educate me! If something is wrong, let me know! A fair warning though, if you do point something out, I might ask questions so I can make sure to get it right. 
> 
> Thanks for reading lovelies! Your comments and kudos sustain my life force!


	4. Introspection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Weekly updates" she promised. "It'll be easy" she lied to herself. I'm so sorry guys, college has been kicking my ass and I rewrote this chapter at least five times before I felt like it was good enough to post. Just a heads-up, this is a Kyman chapter, so if that's not your thing, you won't miss much by skipping this chapter.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: Brief mention of suicidal thoughts.

“Y’know, sometimes I wonder, would the world be better off without me? I mean, if we’re analyzing the costs and benefits, I’d say there are far more potential benefits. For example-”

 

Three short and concise knocks against his window made Eric sit up.

 

“Could you finish up with the pity party in there and let me in already?” Kyle’s voice was muffled, but Eric heard him loud and clear. He rolled his eyes and stood up, slowly making his way over to the window, pausing to stretch just because he could.

 

“I’d say that it’s a surprise to see you here Kyle, but you’re just as predictable as you’ve always been,” Eric said as he pushed the window up high enough for Kyle to climb inside. “I mean seriously, don’t you have anywhere better to go?”

 

“If I did, do you think I’d be here?” Kyle grumbled, taking off his shoes and tossing them into the corner. He sat down on the floor and leaned back on his hands.

 

Eric flopped back onto his bed, facing the ceiling. “I’m not sure, I thought maybe you just _enjoyed_ my charming personality and our witty banter.”

 

Kyle snorted. “Shut up, Cartman.”

 

Eric sat up. “So, what’re you hiding from today my dear Jewish friend?”

 

“I could ask you the same thing fatass.”

 

A permeable silence filled the room at that, neither of them truly willing to address the elephant in the room. Kyle started picking at his carpet as if it were the most interesting thing in the world in that moment.

 

“Well, I for one, am hiding from Bebe Stevens. Plus Kenny and Butters have this whole… _thing_ going on, and personally, I would like to avoid that for as long as possible,” he finally said. Kyle’s eyebrows furrowed and his nose scrunched up.

 

“When did that happen?”

 

“Oh, you haven’t heard? It’s all over Twitter right now.”

 

“Yeah, well, I haven’t exactly been on my phone lately,” Kyle snapped bitterly. “I turned it off Friday night and haven’t looked at it since.”

 

“How the fuck have you _survived?_ ” Eric asked incredulously.

 

“Oh it’s simple really, since I don’t feel a compulsory need to check it every ten seconds.”

 

“Impossible. I refuse to believe it, no one can have that much power.”

 

“Pfft- it’s not a power dumbass, it’s just called ‘having a life.’ Ever heard of it?”

 

“I feel as if you’re trying to mock me, but need I remind you that I’m currently more informed as to what is going on at school then you are.”

 

“Bold words coming from the guy who just admitted to be skipping school to avoid Bebe.”

 

“‘Ey! That woman is dangerous and all-knowing, I do _not_ want to fuck with her. Especially now that she and Wendy are dating, they’re practically unstoppable.”

 

“Holy shit, they’re dating now?!”

 

“Wow, I _do not_ know how you’ve lasted this long without your phone. I could not stand to be that outside of the loop.”

 

Kyle crossed his arms. “Oh, whatever. It’s your fault I’m in this mess in the first place.”

 

“Okay, I’ll admit I slipped up. But you can’t just act as if I am the sole cause of all your problems, Kyle.”

 

“I wasn’t doing that.”

 

Eric raised an eyebrow. “Y’know, for someone so smart; you really do suck at introspection.”

 

“I do not,” Kyle hissed. “Besides, don’t you think that’s kind of hypocritical coming from you? You’re the biggest douchebag I’ve ever met.”

 

“Sure, but at least I’m aware of my douchebaggery, and have been actively trying to be a better person.” Kyle rolls his eyes, but Eric keeps going, suddenly angry. “You on the other hand, you’ve convinced yourself that you’re so much _better_ than everyone else, so that when you mess up, you don’t take the blame unless it makes you look like some kind of fucking martyr.”

 

“None of that is true and you know it, fatass,” Kyle growls, his face flushed red with rage. He stands up, his posture defensive.

 

Eric stands up as well, crossing his arms over his chest. “Ah yes, falling back onto derogatory terms when things aren’t going your way. Way to really prove your point there Kyle.”

 

“You are so _infuriating-“_

 

“Then why are you here?”

 

Kyle pauses to stare at him blankly. “What?”

 

“If I’m so ‘ _infuriating_ ’ then why do you keep coming back here?”

 

“I- I don’t… it’s- it’s because…” He was grasping at straws, Eric could tell. His eyes were shifting around the room as if the thought had never crossed his mind.

 

“You know what I think? I think you keep coming back here because you want to feel like you’re better than someone-“

 

“That’s not it!”

 

“Then what is?! You treat me like a pile of shit and then you come in here, _expecting_ me to listen to your problems, but why? You give off so many mixed signals it’s impossible for me to figure out what you really want!”

 

“Well maybe I just wanted a friend!”

 

Eric blinked a few time as the words resonated in his skull.

 

“And, Christ, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you’re right. I can be a self righteous asshole sometimes, but you’re the only person in this goddamn town willing to call me out on it! And it may be stupid, but I _like_ that about you.”

 

“Did you just… compliment me?” Eric felt like his brain was short circuiting. “And tell me that I was right?”

 

Kyle huffed. “Is it that hard to believe?”

 

“Kind of, yeah.”

 

“ _God,_ you’re never gonna let me live this down are you?”

 

“Knowing me? Probably not.”

 

Kyle laughed bitterly. “You gonna let the whole school in on this too?”

 

“I don’t plan on it, I have a reputation to maintain after all.”

 

They had slowly gravitated towards each other over the course of their argument, but now they stood just a couple of inches apart, anticipation hanging in the air between them. Eric broke first.

 

“I hope I’m not misreading the situation, but do you plan on kissing me or not?”

 

Kyle snorted. “You are such an asshole.”

 

“Is that a yes or-?”

 

He’s cut off as Kyle leans down a bit and presses his lips against his. For just a moment, Eric feels his heart stop, but then it’s over, and Kyle grins at him.

 

“You know you have to breathe right?”

 

Eric smacked Kyle on the shoulder, furiously ignoring his laughter. “Goddammit Kyle, you ruined the fucking moment!”

 

Kyle continues to laugh for another moment before he sighs, a small smile on his face. “So what now?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean, are we dating, are we friends with benefits, are we going to pretend that never happened? Because I want to make sure we’re on the same page here.”

 

Eric scratched the back of his neck nervously. “I mean, I’d certainly like to be dating if you’re cool with that.”

 

Kyle smiled at him. “Yeah. I’m cool with that.”

 

Nothing really changed between them, when they met up at the bus stop the next morning, they bickered like they always have. Only now there were a few more lingering touches, even some pet names here and there. It felt natural. It felt _right_.

 

They had talked about what might happen when the got to school. The threat of the rumor mill looming over them. But when they got to school, nothing happened. Everyone was acting the same as they always had.

 

It was disconcerting to say the least. Kyle even asked Kenny what had happened to make everyone so chill.

 

“Don’t worry about it dude, Butters took care of it,” he said.

 

Whatever that meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'll try and have the next chapter up soon! I changed my tumblr url to @toxic-catalyst if you guys wanna come yell at me for my shitty upload schedule, if you just wanna say hi, or freak out about the new episode with me, feel free to do so! I'm always down for making new friends lol.

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any critiques or comments about the fic that you don't want public, or if you just want a friend, message me on Tumblr @toomanyyams


End file.
